Translator: Dreamscribe
The official announcement of the live-action adaptation of ‘Beast and the Beauty’. This exclusive news, sourced from ‘World Disney Pictures’, created a sensation.
『BBX/ Official Announcement from ‘World Disney Pictures’: “Live-Action ‘Beast and the Beauty’ Film is Being Made”』
Foreign media quickly churned out similar yet slightly different articles in a frenzy.
『LA TIME/’Beast and the Beauty’ live-action adaptation? Will Disney succeed in live-action this time?』
It was certainly newsworthy. Hollywood had always paid attention to the ‘Big Five’ film companies, and ‘World Disney Pictures’, in particular, drew significant attention. This was because the original had a huge fandom. In other words, reporting on the live-action adaptation announced by ‘World Disney Pictures’ guaranteed good sales.
This had happened in the past as well.
Whether the live-action films were hits or flops, whenever news broke that ‘World Disney Pictures’ was adapting their original animations into live-action films, countless fans around the world became excoited. It was clear that one of their representative works, ‘Beast and the Beauty’, would be no different this time.
『CNM/Disney announces the live-action film adaptation of one of their flagship works, ‘Beast and the Beauty’!』
The articles from foreign media kept coming, and soon, audiences from many countries were flocking to them.
-Oh my gosh! ‘Beast and the Beauty’ is being adapted into live-action??!
-If you’re going to do it half-heartedly like last time, don’t do it at all Disney!
-So the rumors were true!!
-Why do I feel both excited and worried about this?
-Belle! Will I be able to see Belle in real life?
-Disney! If you ruin the work that holds my precious memories, I won’t forgive you.
-How are they planning to create the Beast? CG again?
The languages were just as diverse.
This was proof of the diverse fandom of ‘Beast and the Beauty’. The project, which had drawn such global interest, did not stop there. ‘World Disney Pictures’ seemed to have more in store. Exactly two hours after the official announcement of the live-action adaptation.
‘World Disney Pictures’ posted an update on their official social media with another announcement about the current situation.
-[Hello! This is ‘World Disney Pictures’! Thank you for your immense interest in the live-action adaptation of ‘Beast and the Beauty’. We have finalized the candidates for the roles of ‘Beast’ and ‘Belle’, and we will soon begin screen tests…]
The post was quite lengthy, but to summarize: ‘We have finalized the candidates for the main cast and plan to reveal them to fans before the auditions and screen tests.’ This indicated that ‘World Disney Pictures’ had been conducting the work in secrecy. The post on social media quickly amassed comments in various languages.
– What?! They’ve already finalized the candidates? Who are they?
– Belle must have blonde hair! Cast Miley Cara!
– I’m curious about which actors made the lineup. When will the candidates be announced?
– Fan-made fantasy casting boards have been circulating for a while; maybe they’re similar?
– Surely, the actors must have both vocals and acting skills, right?
– Disney, make sure the synchronization is perfect!
.
.
While ‘Pierrot’ wasn’t weak by any means, ‘Beast and the Beauty’ clearly had more firepower, thanks to the power of the original work. Perhaps it was the difference in imagination? ‘Pierrot’ was still a unknown work, but ‘Beast and the Beauty’, being an adaptation of an original, allowed fans to explode with imagination. Whatever the case, the issue surrounding ‘Beast and the Beauty’ heated up overseas at the end of the year.
Of course, Asia was no exception.
In Japan,
『The live-action adaptation of ‘Beast and the Beauty’ confirmed, sparking curiosity about the cast candidates!』
And in Korea,
-The Live-Action Adaptation of 《Beast and the Beauty》? My Personal Fantasy Casting Board!!｜MoviehyungTV
Although the domestic media didn’t handle it as a major topic, it was enough to make the main page of international news sections. Public opinion, rather than the press, was buzzing noisily. In particular, social media and online communities were in an uproar.
Naturally, Kang Woojin also checked on this situation.
‘Whew- the firepower is intense!’
Perhaps because it was right before Christmas, the buzz seemed even stronger. While ‘Beast and the Beauty’ continued to grow in prominence both overseas and domestically, December was drawing to a close.
And then, morning at Kang Woojin’s house.
Around 5 a.m., Kang Woojin groggily rose from his bed. After staring blankly into space for a few seconds, he tilted his head left and right before grabbing his phone lying nearby. Naturally, he let out a big yawn as the numbers displayed on the phone screen came into view.
“Hoo-“
He let out a small sigh. The reason was simple.
-[2022/ January/ 1st/ Saturday]
It was the New Year, marking the start of Kang Woojin’s third year.
After that.
2021 came to an end, and 2022 began. Two days flew by in the blink of an eye. It was already Monday, January 3rd. Of course, quite a few things had happened in the meantime. After the confirmation of the live-action adaptation and the finalized cast candidates of ‘Beast and the Beauty’ had become a hot issue both internationally and domestically, the production raised expectations again by announcing the director and key staff members.
However, the finalized list of cast candidates had not yet been revealed. Not to be outdone, ‘Pierrot’ also announced the dates for its audition and screen test, further heightening interest.
Naturally, Kang Woojin’s connection to ‘Pierrot’ also made him a hot topic.
『’Pierrot’ auditions and screen tests on the 25th… When Will Kang Woojin Depart?』
With less than three weeks left until the 20th, domestic media and public opinion had been fervently pushing the narrative of Kang Woojin’s Hollywood debut as soon as the New Year began. If Woojin were to secure the lead role in ‘Pierrot’, he would become the first Korean actor to star as the lead in a Hollywood film.
Meanwhile, ‘Columbia Studios’ had sent Kang Woojin materials related to the audition.
These included audition scripts and explanations derived from the official script of ‘Pierrot’. In summary, the ‘Pierrot’ audition and screen test required preparation for both designated scenes and free performances. The note mentioning that props and makeup were left to the discretion of the actor was a bonus.
However, as Kang Woojin was traveling early in the morning for his schedule, wasn’t particularly shaken.
‘Man, it’s snowing like crazy-‘
During the drive, he quietly observed the heavy snowfall outside the car window. There was no significant reason for him to be shaken. Even though it was a new year, his strong commitment to maintaining his persona was a contributing factor.
Then.
“Woojin.”
Choi Sung-gun, whose ponytail had grown slightly longer, showed him a tablet. He had just finished organizing something that needed to be reported to Woojin. What he presented was the current status of the films ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ and ‘Leech’. Both films had been in theaters for about two weeks, and they were dominating the year-end and New Year box office.
In fact.
“At this rate, both ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ and ‘Leech’ are likely to surpass 10 million viewers, and if things go well, ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ might even overtake ‘Sea Battle’.”
He was referring to ‘Sea Battle’, which ranked third in the all-time Korean box office. For reference, ‘Leech’ was in first place, and Island of the Missing’ was in second. If ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ claimed third place, it would mean that the top three spots were all held by Kang Woojin’s films.
An unbelievable scenario that once seemed impossible was now within reach. Naturally, Choi Sung-gun was tense.
“Phew…… If this happens, it’ll be truly monumental.”
Woojin replied softly.
“It would be nice, but it’s okay even if it doesn’t happen.”
“Really?! Seriously??”
“Yes.”
“Hey, hey, hey, breaking a record like this is right around the corner! Isn’t it a shame to miss out? You bland guy! If it were any other actor, they’d be on the verge of a heart attack right now!”
“Is that so?”
Though Woojin calmly muttered in response, his inner thoughts were the complete opposite.
‘Please! Please! Let ‘The Eerie Sacrifice of a Stranger’ take third place! Please! If it does, First, second, and third place will all be my films!’
The real Kang Woojin was desperately rooting for it with all his passion. However, being unable to reveal such frivolity outwardly, he
-Swoosh.
stretched out his hand, maintaining his poker face. He picked up one of the scripts piled around him. Lately, the one he was reading most often was, of course, ‘Pierrot’. The audition and screen test were just around the corner. When Woojin grabbed the script, Choi Sung-gun fell silent. The other team members did the same.
No one could disturb Kang Woojin when he was reading a script.
Then Woojin,
-Poke.
He tapped the black square attached next to the ‘Pierrot’ script. Immediately, he entered the void space. As soon as he arrived at the endlessly dark area, Kang Woojin moved toward the floating white rectangle. Naturally, what he selected was ‘Pierrot’.
-[11/Script (Title: Pierrot), EX+ Grade]
-[This is a highly complete movie script. 100% reading is possible.]
Woojin had already read the ‘Pierrot’ script in full multiple times. Recently, whenever he had spare time, he would perform readings (experiences) of it, not only for the male lead but for all the other characters as well. Unlike the past, thanks to the grace of the void space, Woojin had gained many abilities, but the fact remained that repeating readings (experiences) only enhanced the vividness of the characters he could bring to life.
Soon.
“Let’s see-”
The list of ‘Pierrot’ characters appeared before Woojin’s eyes.
-[11/You have selected the script (Title: Pierrot).]
-[Listing characters available for reading (experience).]
-[A: Henry Gordon/Villain, B: Robert Franklin, C: Detective Alex……]
The names were quite familiar. Among them, Kang Woojin chose ‘Henry Gordon/Villain’. He was also the protagonist of ‘Pierrot’. Soon, a robotic female voice echoed throughout the void space.
[“A: Henry Gordon/Villain, preparing for reading……”]
For a brief moment, Kang Woojin exhaled a serious breath.
“Phew-”
A massive gray enveloped him from behind.
His body swayed.
A hum, like the sound of an engine, filled the air.
His dark vision gradually brightened.
Colors began to fill the space.
‘Henry Gordon’. No, this was now Kang Woojin’s reality.
It shook again. His body shifted. Woojin raised his head. It was a shabby bus. From the seats to the windows, everything was covered in graffiti. Kang Woojin was sitting inside the bus, which was traveling down a nighttime road.
His seat was at the very back.
Woojin’s gaze lowered again. He noticed the clothes he was wearing. They were peculiar. They seemed like formal attire, yet they were eccentric. A red jacket and pants, a yellow vest, and worn-out brown shoes. It was a highly conspicuous, almost ragged outfit, but for some reason, Woojin felt nothing unusual about it.
It felt familiar.
-Swipe.
When he lowered his head, his hair fell down. They were a light reddish hue. Even long enough to cover his ears.
“……”
Kang Woojin casually brushed his hair back. It was damp. Come to think of it, the bus was a bit warm inside. So what? He could just enjoy it, right? Gradually, the emotions of the character began to seep into Woojin’s psyche. They coursed through his veins and spread throughout his entire body.
The first thing that came to mind was madness.
Happiness and fantasy. Romance and hell. Order and chaos. Justice and injustice. Laughter and tears. Humanity and clownery.
Tragedy and comedy.
You all are tragedy, I am comedy.
Things that defied definition began to fill Woojin. But could this really be dismissed as abnormal? Could it be labeled as mutant?
Screw all of that.
In Kang Woojin, heat and cold, misfortune and happiness coexisted. He could laugh. Truly, he could. Everything Woojin saw brought him joy.
Why was that?
Why was his heart pounding so hard?
It’s as if ecstasy has been injected into his heart and brain. with a syringe.
Should he start dancing?
At that moment,
-Screech!
The bus screamed to a halt. Soon, four men, stumbling as they boarded, entered. They were playing around with each other when they noticed Woojin sitting at the very back. Kang Woojin tilted his head halfway as he looked at them. Initially, the men flinched, but then they began laughing as they saw Woojin’s face.
“Look at this guy’s face!”
“What a dumbass! He must’ve lost his mind!”
“Ha ha, hey! Dance for us! Show us some tricks!”
The men sat around Woojin and started poking and prodding him. Even in this moment, Kang Woojin was feeling an intense thrill. But the men seemed annoyed by Woojin’s smiling face.
“Hey, are you ignoring me?”
“Maybe a few punches will get him moving.”
The hands that had been lightly poking him began to grow rougher. However, Woojin simply let his body sway under their force, and then, suddenly,
“Hee-“
He brought his face right up to the man sitting on his right, so close their noses nearly touched. Then, he grinned so widely it looked like his mouth might tear apart. The man, now filled with irritation, swung his fist at Woojin’s face. Kang Woojin fell flat on the floor. But instead of groaning in pain, his laughter grew more intense.
“Heheheheh!”
The men, their brows furrowed tightly, began kicking Woojin as he lay on the floor. Though Woojin let out occasional grunts like “Ugh!” or “Arrgh!”, his laughter only grew louder and wilder.
“Hehehe! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”
At this point, the men stopped their kicking and looked down at Kang Woojin, who was lying on the floor, and muttered under their breath.
“This… this crazy bastard.”
Kang Woojin, his grin stretching from ear to ear, spread his arms wide and spoke to them.
“What are you doing? Keep going.”
The men exchanged uneasy glances before pounding on the back door of the bus.
“Open the door!! Hey! Driver! Open the door, now!!”
-Screeech!
The bus came to a stop. The men bolted off the bus as if fleeing for their lives. Soon, the overweight bus driver cautiously approached Woojin, who was still lying on the floor, and hesitantly asked.
“Hey, are you alright?”
Woojin was still laughing. The bus driver flinched at the sight and spoke again.
“It’s… it’s because of how your face looks that people pick fights with you.”
Kang Woojin let out a small sigh and slowly got up. Then, he silently stared at the bus driver standing before him.
“Heh-”
With a chuckle, he stuck out his tongue. The bus driver, looking terrified, scurried back to the driver’s seat.
“He’s crazy!”
Afterward, Woojin turned to look at his reflection in the bus window.
“……”
Light reddish hair, a face painted white, sharp, bright red rectangles drawn around his eyes, and thick lips painted into a grotesquely wide smile, stretching unnaturally as though torn at the edges.
He was the very embodiment of a horrifying ‘Pierrot’.
“Crazy? What a compliment.”
This was the origin story of a villain.